2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Gold Proof Coin

The 2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Gold Proof Coin features a design inspired by the original British Trade Dollar coin design. Struck in 32mm to a beautiful high relief with flawless proof finish, the obverse design features for the first time, the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by an arabesque cartouche and features the denomination 250 Dollars.

An exceptionally low issue limit of just 200 coins makes the 2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Gold Proof Coin one of the rarest tributes to a currency born of commerce and trade.

Details

The British Trade Dollar was originally minted exclusively for British Merchants trading in the Orient. A defacto currency, it facilitated British trade in Chinese luxuries following the end of the First and Second Opium Wars when China ceded Hong Kong to the British. Designed by engraver George William De Saulles, the coins depicted, for the first time, a helmet-wearing standing image of Britannia holding a trident and British shield with a merchant ship in the background. Presentation pieces were struck in gold by the Bombay Mint, and carry a mint mark “B”, located in the central prong of the trident. Fewer than six original gold British Trade Dollars are thought to exist in the world today making it one of the world’s rarest gold coins.

The 2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Gold Proof Coin is presented in The East India Company’s luxury presentation case with display tray, accompanied by a colourful and informative booklet and numbered certificate. The 2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Gold Proof Coin has a total mintage limit of just 200 coins.

The New Trade Dollar Collection consists of five new coin designs celebrating the infamous currency of the Orient, introduced by countries across the world to facilitate the exchange of silver for Chinese tea, silks and porcelains.

Released over the next two years, each coin is inspired by the original designs of the British, American, French, Japanese and Chinese silver dollars, with exceptionally low issue limits, the new 1oz Gold Trade Dollar High Relief coins are expected to be one of the most highly prized collections of the modern coinage era.

The first Trade Dollar in the Collection is the 2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Gold Proof Coin released for sale on 15th February. The most limited coin in the collection features a design based on the original presentation pieces minted in gold which remain one of the world’s rarest coins today.

Also available in the first Trade Dollar Collection is the 2018 British Trade Dollar 1oz Silver Proof Coin to be released 31st March 2018.